1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cloth holder for an automatic sewing machine of a type used to automatically sew a welt cloth or flap cloth on a cloth shell to complete a welt in a vest or breast pocket or a flap in each side pocket in a garment such as, for example, suits, or trousers. More specifically, the present invention relates to a cloth holder for the automatic sewing machine for holding the welt cloth or flap cloth during the sewing operation so that a pattern in the welt cloth or flap can be aesthetically aligned with a mating pattern in that portion of the cloth shell where the welt cloth or flap cloth is to be sewed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is well known to those skilled in the art, a suit has a pair of side pockets and a breast pocket on an outer surface thereof. The side pockets have generally rectangular flaps each overlaying the mouth leading to the interior of the respective side pocket, whereas the breast pocket has a welt reinforcing a peripheral lip defining the mouth of the breast pocket.
Where the suit has a certain pattern, for example, vertically extending stripes, a problem has hitherto been encountered in that a generally rectangular flap cloth which eventually forms the flap for each side pocket must be sewed on the suit cloth adjacent the corresponding side pocket with the stripes aligned with mating stripes on the right face of the flap cloth, and similarly, a generally rectangular welt cloth which eventually forms the welt for the breast pocket must be sewed on the suit cloth adjacent the breast pocket with the stripes aligned with the mating stripes on the right face of the welt cloth. Where the stripes on the suit cloth are out of alignment with those on the flap cloth or the welt cloth, the resultant suit lacks an aesthetically pleasing appearance. This is particularly true of the welt which is readily noticeable. If the flap cloth or the welt cloth is sewed on the suit cloth with the pattern on the flap cloth or welt cloth misaligned with those on the suit cloth, the resultant suit is generally regarded as having a low commercial value in the market.
According to the prior art, as a means for positioning the flap cloth or the welt cloth so as to overlap with the suit cloth which has been held at a predetermined position with the patterned right face thereof oriented upwards, a cloth holder is used to hold the flap cloth or the welt cloth with its patterned right face oriented upwards, which cloth holder is subsequently moved in a horizontal plane or a plane inclined relative to a vertical direction so that the flap cloth or the welt cloth can be overlapped with the suit cloth.
Apart from the use of the mechanical device such as the cloth holder referred to above, a manual procedure is also widely employed in which a sewing attendant worker holds the flap cloth or the welt cloth in hand and place it on the suit cloth with the pattern on the flap cloth or the welt cloth aligned with that on the suit cloth.
Whether the mechanical device is employed or the manual procedure is employed, the flap cloth or the welt cloth is placed on the patterned right face of the suit cloth with the pattern thereof oriented upwards and is then sewed thereon. Therefore, it has been felt difficult to accomplish a pattern alignment, i.e., an alignment of the pattern on the flap cloth or the welt cloth with the corresponding pattern on the suit cloth. In addition, it has been found that, when the flap or welt is reversed so that the pattern on the flap or welt can appear outside of the suit, the pattern on the flap or welt is often found misaligned with the pattern on the suit, causing the resultant suit to lack an aesthetically pleasing appearance, accompanied by a reduction in commercial value thereof in the market.